Broom-head



No. 6|3,67|. Patented Nov. 8, I898. A. W. FITTS.

BROOM HEAD.

V (Application filed Oct. 9, 1897.)

(No Model.)

NITED STATES ATEN'I FFIQE...

ALFRED W. FITTS, OF GADSDEN, ALABAMA.

BROOM-HEAD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 613,671, dated November8, 1898.

Application filed October 9, 1897.

T0 on whom it may concern.-

Be it-known that I, ALFRED l/V. FITTs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Gadsden, in the county of Etowah and State of Alabama, haveinvented a new and useful Broom-Head, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to broom-heads, and particularly to a bridle andcooperating cap or broom-corn socket in which the butt-ends of thebroom-corn are secured.

The object in view is to provide a broomhead wherein the broom-corn isadapted to be replaced with facility and wherein the broomcorn issecurely held by the cap and bridle to preserve the proper shape andprevent displacement.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in thefollowing description, and the novel features thereof will beparticularly pointed out in the appended claims. y

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a broom-headconstructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a verticaltransverse section of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail view in perspectiveof the cap detached, showing a folding leaf thrown back to expose thebroom-corn-engaging pins. Fig. 4 is a detail View in perspective of theholding-wire or hanger detached.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

1 designates a cap or socket of upwardlytapered construction, through anopening in the top of which is fitted the extremity of a handle 2, andinclosing this cap is a bridle of sectional construction having a fixedlooped member 3, of which the side arms are arranged beyond the ends ofthe cap and are inturned at their upper extremities to form spindleportions at, attached firmly to the bandle. The movable member 5 of thebridle is also of looped construction, with its arms provided withcoiled sleeves or journal portions 6, fitted upon the spindle portionsof the member 3. The cross-rods 3 and 5 at the lower ends of the fixedmovable bridle members are adapted to bear against opposite sides of thebroom-corn, and the arms of said members are transversely connectedapproximately parallel with said cross-rods by means of bearseim No.654,686. (No model.)

in g-rods 7. The extremities of these bearingrods engage deflected oroffset portions 8 of the side arms to prevent displacement there of, andthe bearing-rods are located at a distance from the fulcrum of themovable member of the bridle which is in excess of the depth of the bodyportion of the cap. Said cap, however, is provided at the lowerextremities of its side walls with pin-bearing extensions 9 and 10, theformer being fixed to and preferably integral with one side wall of thecap, while the latter is hinged, as at 11, to the opposite side wall ofthe cap. These extensions project at their lower edges below the planeof the bearing-rods 7 of the bridle, and thus are arranged in thetransverse paths of said bearing-rods, whereby when the bridle iscontracted to clamp the broom-corn the bearing-rods force thepin-bearing extensions into-contact with the broom-corn, as shown inFig. 2. In order to hold the members of the bridle in their operativepositions, I employ securing devices consisting of hooks 12, having eyesmounted upon the fixed or stationary member of the bridle and hookedextremities to engage the other member.

The broom-corn-engaging pins 13, which project inwardly from theside-wall extensions of the cap, are preferably made detachable in orderto provide for replacement when theybecomebent orotherwiseinjured. HenceI employ perforated holding-plates 14,through which headed pins project,and these holding-plates are fitted in terminal upset guides or seats 15at the extremities of said side-wall extensions, whereby the heads ofthe pins bear against the inner surfaces of the sidewall extensions toprevent accidental displacement. It will be understood that one of theside-wall extensions is hinged to fold outwardly, as indicated in Fig.3, to facilitate the introduction of the broom-corn, and in order tostill further increase the possibilities of transverse contraction ofthe cap when the bridle is contracted to its normal position I providethe ends of the cap with kerfs or slits 16. This permits the lowerportions of the side walls to be drawn inwardly or toward each otherwhen the bearing-rods press forcibly upon the side-wall extensions.

In connection with the above-described construction I also employ abroom-corn-holding 2 eiaevi wire or hanger consisting of parallellongitudinal spaced side wires 17, terminally connected tosuspending-wires 18, which extend upward to the spindle portions of thefixed bridle member and are securely fastened. A portion of thebroom-corn-say approximately one-third of the entire quantity thereof isarranged between the side wires of the holder or hanger, while theremaining portions of the broom-corn are placed outside of said hanger,where they are engaged below the plane of the side wires of the hangerby means of the pins on the side-wall extensions, and I have found inpractice that with this arrangement of parts any tendency upon the partof the broom-corn to slip out of place will serve to wedge it firmly inplace. This is due partly to the fact that the side wires of the hangerare arranged contiguous to and slightly below the plane of the loweredge of the body portion of the cap, whereby the transverse contractionof the cap by reason of the split end walls thereof serves to bind theexterior portions of the broom-corn against said side wires and also tocontract the side wires to clamp the interposed portion of broom-corn.

In practice various changes in the form, proportion, and the minordetails of construction may be resorted to without departing from thespirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combination of atransversely-contractible broom-corn-receiving cap provided on its sidewalls with inwardly-extending broom-corn-engaging pins, and a bridlehaving side members pivotally connected contiguous to the top of thecap, and provided with bearing-rods parallel and in contact with thepin-bearing portions of said side walls, and means for securing thebridle members in their contracted positions, substantially asspecified.

2. The combination of a transversely-contractible broom-corn-receivingcap having pin-bearing side-wall extensions and split or kerfed endwalls to allow relative lateral movement of said side-wall extensions,and a transversely-contractible bridle having side members providedrespectively with bearingrods for contact with said side-wallextensions, and means for securing said members in their normalpositions, substantially as specified.

The combination of a transversely-contractible broom-corn-receiving caphaving side-wall extensions, of which one is hingedly mounted foroutward swinging movement, and a transversely-contractible bridle havingside members for contact with broom-corn below the lower edges of theside-wall extensions, and also provided with parallel bear= ing-rods forcontact with said side-wall extensions, and means for securing thebridle members in their normal positions, substantially as specified.

4. The combination of a transversely-contractible broom-corn-receivingcap having its walls provided with guides, holding-plates carryingbroom-corn-engaging pins, removably fitted at their edges in the guideson said walls of the cap, and means for transversely contracting thecap,substan tially as specified.

5. The combination of a transversely-contractible broom-corn-receivingcap provided with side-Wall extensions having terminal guides,perforated holding-plates removably fitted in said guides, headedbroom-corn-engaging pins removably fitted in perforations in saidholding-plates with their heads between the holding-plates and thecontiguous side walls, and means for transversely contracting the cap,substantially as specified.

6. The combination with a transverselycontractible broom-corn-receivingcap, and means for contracting the same, of a broomcorn hanger arrangedwithin said cap and having connected side wires between which a portionof the broom-corn is arranged, and means for suspending said side wiresfrom the top of the cap, substantially as specified.

7. The combination with a transverselycontractible broom-corn-receivingcap provided with inwardly projecting engagingpins, and means forcontractin the cap, of a broom-corn hanger arranged within the cap andconsisting of horizontal approximately parallel side wires arrangedcontiguous to the plane of said engaging-pins, and suspendingwires forsupporting said side wires from the top of the cap, said side wiresbeing adapted to be forced toward each other, by the contraction of thecap, to engage an interposed portion of broom-corn, substantially asspecified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto a'ffixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ALFRED \V. FITTS.

VV itnesses:

J. R. ANDERSON, T. M. ANDERSON.

